Synonyms of psych (up)

psych (up) 1 of 2

verb

ˈsīk 

as in to brace

to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally

I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brace
• fortify
• ready
• nerve
• strengthen
• steel
• prop (up)
• forearm
• buoy (up)
• cheer (up)
• poise
• reinforce
• arm
• enforce
• inure
• bolster
• comfort
• season
• sustain
• encourage
• inspire
• harden
• buttress
• rouse
• stir
• support
• rally
• boost
• hearten
• toughen
• embolden

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discourage
• shake
• demoralize
• dishearten
• psych (out)
• daunt
• unnerve
• undermine
• soften
• undercut
• weaken
• dispirit
• tire
• sap
• prostrate
• debilitate
• enfeeble
• enervate

psyche

2 of 2

noun

ˈsī-kē 

1

as in soul

an immaterial force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power

disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist

Synonyms & Similar Words

• soul
• spirit
• essence
• life
• vitality
• being
• quintessence

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• body
• flesh

2

as in mind

the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons

a novel that explores the psyche of a depressed teen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mind
• brain
• head
• intellect
• intelligence
• cerebrum
• skull
• thinker
• perception
• wisdom
• brilliance
• insight
• consciousness
• mentality
• wit
• awareness
• gray matter
• judgment
• reason
• alertness
• acumen
• noodle
• sagacity
• loaf
• cognizance
• astuteness
• perspicacity
• belfry
• self-consciousness
• self-awareness
• sapience

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of psych (up)

Noun

He was obsessed with Hemingway and was his major biographer in Cuba, and had great access to parts of Hemingway’s life and psyche. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

Yet despite Almaty’s urban spread, the steppe is never too far away—nor is its indelible imprint on the Kazakh psyche. — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026

Yamamoto’s performance was a gut punch and a psyche-rattling blow for the Dodgers. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

In both the book and the movie, Jack Torrance (Nicholson), his wife Wendy (Duvall) and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd) move to a mountain resort in Colorado, where Jack’s psyche soon unravels. — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 12 Oct. 2026